You've Heard of E-Business...How About E-Recruiting? by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia You can't watch the news for ten minutes today without hearing about some form of e-business, e-tailing, e-marketing, e-something... but what about e-mployment? The on-line revolution's next big thing is surely that more and more companies are finding their needed employees on-line. For now, most computer-based job applicant screening is limited to in-store terminals and kiosks in larger retail stores such as Target, K-mart, and some electronics chains. The computer stations are set up in-store to attract people who might not otherwise apply for jobs, and they're working. Think of it this way: a person walking into an electronics store for a new CD or a telephone finds the product he or she is looking for, and while in line to purchase the product, becomes interested in the help wanted posters hung on the wall and from the ceiling. (Is this so hard to imagine? Take note next time you're in a retail store--there are Help Wanted signs everywhere. Everyone is looking for employees. Aren't you? Your competition is, too.) It used to be that stores had to ask these kinds of prospects either to fill out a tedious application right there, in-store, or send them home with one. Then they'd pray to get a response from one out of twenty, or if they were lucky, one out of ten prospective applicants. But computers and on-line applications change all that. We cannot deny that there is still a sort of caché of newness surrounding the Internet, and applicants may be attracted to the novelty of applying for a job right there at a computer terminal in the store. However, as this newness wears off, what will be left behind is the ease and convenience of applying for a job on-line. The person is right there, in the store, and only has to spend a few minutes answering a few questions, and the employment process is begun. The even bigger benefit, however, is to the employer: they're actively building and updating a prospective employment database every minute the store is open. The process enables them to sort applications at high speed, weed out unqualified persons, highlight talent and attract applicants who might otherwise not have applied. And this whole process takes place without taking even one minute of management time. The benefits of the on-line, in-store application process The idea is catching on. More and more retailers are coming on-line in-store, and several companies out there are exploring on-line application processes that can be begun from home. Just think for a moment what it might mean to your business to refer applicants to an on-line screening tool that automatically identified those persons best suited for work in your organization. It's revolutionary. A few of the screening options and advantages include: Asking questions in specific levels of proficiency, thereby allowing you to identify candidates for all levels of employment. Screening out underage applicants or applicants who decline to take drug tests. Asking yes-or-no questions allowing for easy scoring of applicants. Asking short answer, hypothetical questions enabling you, without wasting interview time, to get an idea of candidates' experience, ethical views, etc. Combining the application process with the interview process. This new and growing tool is not without pitfalls--there is increasing public concern over privacy in regard to the information applicants provide. We encourage you to assure prospective applicants that their information will remain within the company. Look into the options you may have regarding in-store, on-line application options as well as from-home Internet possibilities. In this employment market, you need any edge you can get . . . and web applications can be a huge edge. Just ask Good Guys, an electronics chain headquartered in the northwest: their applications jumped from 14,000 in 1998 to 32,000 in 1999--an almost 150% increase simply as a result of implementing on-line application options. E-mployment: it's the latest, greatest thing. Don't get left behind.

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